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Charles W. Greening Obituary

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Charles W. Greening

Royal Oak, MI

August 9, 1929 - October 7, 2021

Charles W. Greening Obituary

Charles W. (Chuck) Greening, a longtime resident of Lathrup Village, died peacefully with his family by his side at his residence Thursday October 7, 2021. He was born in Detroit on August 9, 1929, to R. E. Lee Greening and Ruth V. Greening (neé Kaake), the middle of three boys. Growing up on the east side of Detroit, he would take three busses to commute downtown to Cass Tech (class of 1947) and as a proud Tartar earned his degree in Industrial Engineering from Wayne (State) University in 1953, where he was a member and treasurer of the Epsilon Beta chapter of the Theta Tau engineering fraternity. During his time on campus he was set up on a blind date with an attractive young blonde woman, Marilyn Radke, who worked in the Alumni Association office; they married on May 4, 1957. After graduation, Charles started his own sales representation firm specializing in test stands for a variety of industrial equipment including hydraulic pumps. In 1965 he founded Greening Associates, Inc., a manufacturer of specialized testing equipment for research and development testing of a wide range of driveline components for all modes of transportation He retired in 2002 as chairman of the company, which continues under the guidance of his sons. Charles is a registered Professional Engineer (Mechanical) in the State of Michigan and is a 50-year member of SAE International. He also served in the United Sates Army National Guard. During his business career and continuing into his 90’s, he and Marilyn travelled the world. They enjoyed exploring what the world had to offer and visited every continent except Antarctica. A lifelong boater, he fulfilled one of his bucket list items at 72 when he purchased a cruiser which he and Marilyn used extensively in the Great Lakes and beyond, even taking a trip down the Intercoastal Waterway along East Coast and across to the Bahamas. He also enjoyed his summer home on Stag Island, Canada and was a member of the Fraternal Fellowship Association for over 60 years. Charles and Marilyn have been members of St. David’s Episcopal Church since 1962, where he served on the Vestry as well as an organizer of many a pancake breakfast. Charles is the loving husband of Marilyn for sixty-four wonderful years; dear father of Charles, Jr. (Jane) Greening of Birmingham, Brent (Michelle) Greening of Leonard and Dr. Scott (Brenda) Greening of Colorado Springs, CO; cherished grandfather of Ashley, Kyle, Henry, Elia, Amanda, Jessica, Allison, and Sarah. Mr. Greening is also survived by his brother, Robert E. L. Greening, Jr. of Grosse Pointe Farms. Sadly, he is preceded in death by his parents and brother Donald Allan Greening (d.2012). Family will receive friends Thursday, October 14, 2021 from 2-8pm at A.J. Desmond & Sons (Vasu, Rodgers & Connell Chapel), 32515 Woodward Ave. (btwn 13-14 Mile), Royal Oak, (248) 549-0500. Funeral Service Friday, October 15, 2021, 11am at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 162000 W. 12 Mile Rd., Southfield. Visitation at church begins at 10am. Masks are required to enter the church. The funeral may be witnessed via live stream at stdavidssf.org, Once to the site, simply click on the YouTube platform icon. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed Theta Tau Alumni Association c/o Bryan O'Neill, 32557 Sabrina Ct., Warren, MI 48093 or to St. David’s Episcopal Church. Thank you for keeping the Greening family in your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.

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